DeKALB, IL - The Northern Illinois University baseball team made a late rally in the ninth inning Saturday against the Toledo Rockets, but could not overcome an early 6-0 Toledo lead in a 7-4 loss at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt and Janice Owens Park.
"It was a tough day to hit with the wind blowing in as hard as it was," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "Toledo just did a better job of working on top earlier than later and had a big inning. It was a tough day to come back from that, but we'll keep on fighting and battling and find ways to come out on top."
Toledo (22-24, 10-13 MAC) took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when catcher Brayden White hit a single down the left field line to bring home right fielder Garret Pike from second base. The Huskies had their first chance to get on the board in the bottom of the second. Andrew Smart (Evanston, Ill./Oakton CC) reached base on a two-out single to centerfield. Tyler Thierry (Bloomington, Ill./Heartland CC) followed with a double down the left field line to give NIU runners at second and third. Toledo starting pitcher Camryn Szynski got out of the inning with a ground out.
The Rockets manufactured their second run of the game in the top of the third. Troy Sudbrook and Jeron Williams hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. Pike put down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners. White hit a flyball to left field deep enough to score Sudbrook on a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0. Toledo broke the game open with four runs in the fourth, capped by a two-run single from Pike, to take a 6-0 lead.
NIU (8-37, 4-18 MAC) put a run on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Thierry drew a one-out walk, getting to second base on a Jake Nelson (Altoona, Wis./Madison College) single. An Eric Erato (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) flyout to center allowed Thierry to advance to third. Thierry scored on a throwing error by Sudbrook at third base, making the score 6-1.
The Huskies' bullpen kept NIU in the game. Sam Pederson (Verona, Wis./McHenry County College) and Jackson Stewart (Urbandale, Iowa/Des Moines Area CC) held Toledo scoreless from the fifth through the eighth innings, combining to allow just two hits with two strikeouts.
"Jackson is starting to feel good again," Kunigonis said. "This is his second outing in a row where he's looked really good. Pederson came in the game in the fifth and put a zero on the board when we really needed it."
The Rockets extended their lead to 7-1 in the top of the ninth on a run-scoring groundout off the bat of White. NIU made one last charge in the bottom of the ninth. It started with Mason Kelley (Mt. Washington, Ky./Schoolcraft College) getting hit by a Jackson Bergman pitch with two outs. Smart then reached on a throwing error by Bergman. Thierry walked to load the bases, and Nelson cleared the bases with a double to the right field wall that made the score 7-4. That was as close as the Huskies would get as Erato lined out to the shortstop Williams to end the game.
Nelson was 2-for-4 in the game from the ninth spot in the batting order and tied a season-high with three RBI.
NIU will honor its seven seniors on Sunday, May 8 for Senior Day. The Senior Day ceremony will take place prior to a 12 p.m. first pitch against Toledo.
—NIU—
